‘Greedy’ Sonny Bill Williams pleads for All Blacks to select overseas-based players
Sonny Bill Williams has called for New Zealand Rugby to change its policies.
Sonny Bill Williams has called for New Zealand Rugby to change its policies and allow All Blacks boss Scott Robertson to select overseas-based players.
The double World Cup-winning centre says that Robertson should be picking players like Aaron Smith, Richie Mo’unga and Shannon Frizell who he believes are ‘game-changers’.
Sonny Bill Williams calls for change
The trio are all plying their trade in Japan having left New Zealand shores after the 2023 Rugby World Cup with scrum-half Smith announcing his retirement from international rugby ahead of his move.
But Williams feels that the 35-year-old who became the first scrum-half to play 100 Tests for New Zealand still has plenty to offer the national team.
“This might be a little controversial, but, I don’t care, I’ll say it,” the former centre said on Stan Sport’s Between Two Posts.
“We should be picking those guys, it’s that easy. It’s not about them, it’s about the team, it’s about the squad. First and foremost, it’s about the cattle and if we have these players, we have a Shannon Frizell to pick from, we have Aaron Smith to pick from – they are game changers.”
It’s not just the All Blacks who should be selecting overseas-based players according to Williams as he believes the Wallabies should too with the cross-code star urging Trans-Tasman teams to follow the likes of the Springboks and Argentina.
“Ofcourse, I want to see them all picked but I want to see brother here [Bernard Foley] being eligible for Australia, Quade Cooper being picked in Australia,” he continued.
“You have got to pick what’s best for the squad at the current moment, at the current time.
“For example, the Wallabies don’t have the luxury to say ‘OK, I want to go with this because this is what we’re doing right now’. You’ve got these players currently playing in Japan, let’s bring them back air and help these young players grow.”
Fixing the All Blacks’ back-row
The 39-year-old added that if Robertson were able to select Frizell, it would help solve the All Blacks’ back-row issue and explained how Smith’s inclusion could benefit New Zealand.
“The All Blacks, we have got a problem with say the black row, put Shannon Frizell at six, Ardie Savea at seven and Wallace Sititi at eight,” he said.
“What I’m saying, is at that highest level we have some players that have experience in this space that should be playing right here, right now.
“We have that young guy starting now [Cortez Ratima], how good would it be to have Aaron Smith in his presence, day in and day out, leaning from him – we can do that, we can facilitate that.
“Maybe this is just me being greedy but I’m saying we have the players right now and we can actually still choose him. Are you telling me Aaron Smith is not a good fit right now?”
For the first time in the professional era, South Africa have won four successive matches against the All Blacks, a fact that Williams is pleased by.
The centre was part of an All Blacks team that not only won the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups but also dominated internationally during the years in between.
This year, New Zealand have not only lost back-to-back matches against South Africa but also fell to a defeat to Argentina in their Rugby Championship opener.
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Still thriving
Despite the results, Williams was able to see some positives in the All Blacks’ performances as they ran the Springboks close in both matches in South Africa.
“Look what South Africa are doing, players can play anywhere [in the world], and we’re coming over and we’re still thriving,” he said.
“We put so much time and effort into these guys and we are just going to lose them.
“We’ve lost four to South Africa, I’m not happy because I know what the All Blacks are capable of.”
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